Sookie's POV:

God how many times do I have to be kidnapped? Surely there must be a limit?!

My throat, eyes, and chest were so sore. I wasn't sure if it was because of the smoke inhalation from the hotel blaze or from the drugs they used on me. It was probably both.

I try to sit up straight to see where I was. From the looks of it, I was in the back of a work van, heading to god -knows - where. My hands were bound from behind and my legs were tied together with plastic ties. I was still wearing the blue negligée that I hastily put on when the hotel was attacked. It was thin material so I was pretty sure it was see-through. I also wasn't wearing any underwear, so I was also sure these kidnappers saw every part of me.

I sneak a peek of the front windshield and saw that it was getting dark. That meant that Eric would be rising soon, but more than likely he was already awake and wondering why he was naked, stuffed in a cargo container at the airport.

"She's awake," the driver says. I knew whose voice that belonged to.

"Where are you taking me?" I say with a ragged tone.

"Relax babe, we aren't going to hurt you," Quinn replies.

"You've made a mistake," I respond.

"Sookie Stackhouse, the telepath?" Quinn asks. "Nope, we didn't make a mistake."

I close my eyes and focus on reaching out to Eric. I had used up all my fae energy saving Eric and Pam. My physical energy was completely drained as well. I try to use breathing techniques to help replenish my strength and make contact with Eric.

Eric's POV:

Waiting for the sun to set was the longest wait of my existence. I could sense Sookie's turmoil as well as her fear and anxiety. She was in danger. I did not know the full story, but from the lingering smell of burnt ash and fire, I had no doubt that meant the Pyramid of Giza had been attacked. I didn't know where Pam was, our bond seemed to be silent. But right now, my main concern was to find Sookie. I could feel that she was getting further and further away from me at a slow pace. They must be transporting her by vehicle.

I hit my fists against the wall in anger. Whoever these fuckers were, they were going to pay with their lives and their families' lives, for taking and hurting my wife.

I always had backup plans for when plans went south wherever I travelled. I had a storage locker here at the airport filled with clothes, cash, and most important of all, weapons.

I wait the last few agonizing minutes till I know that the sun was finally gone. I break down the door and in vampire speed, I go into the terminal and find the storage locker.

I am coming Sookie, I tell my beloved wife through our bond.

Sookie's POV:

He's up!

I could feel Eric's anxiety, anger, and determination.

"We need gas," the passenger says to Quinn.

"We don't have time for that. The vampires will soon be rising and I have no doubt that the big blonde one will be heading our way for her," Quinn responds.

"But…." the male passenger says.

"No buts, he is one of the most dangerous vamps in these parts of the south. We just need to get to the state border and reinforcements will meet us and protect us till we get to our destination," Quinn says.

We drive for another twenty minutes. Suddenly, the van begins to slow down and I could hear the engine sputtering.

"Fuck!" Quinn yells out in anger.

"I told you!" his companion yells out.

"Make the call. We need them to come out here instead. They're only about 25 minutes away," Quinn says.

We sit quietly for the next ten minutes.

I could feel Eric getting closer. His anger and determination flowed through the bond.

"So how did a beautiful girl like you get tangled up with vamps?" Quinn asks me.

I see his eyes staring at me through the rearview mirror and I stare right back at him. I could only guess why he was doing this. It probably had something to do with his mother. I could also bet it was Felipe who ordered him to kidnap me. He was probably behind the attack on the Pyramid of Giza. It started to make sense now why I didn't hear any humans plotting to bomb the hotel. It was vampires and a weretiger behind the attack.

"Like I said, you made a grave mistake," I say in a stern tone.

"Sorry babe, but I think it's the other way around. You should've stayed away from all them dead fuckers," he says angrily.

"Eric," I mutter my breath.

A few minutes later, the backdoors of the van fly open as they come off their hinges. It was Eric! He roars in anger and bears his vampire fangs at the sight of the two men in the front. They both scramble to try and grab me, but Eric beats them to it. He swings me into his arms and takes off with me into the sky. We land somewhere a few minutes later. He takes off the ties and inspects my body for damages. Afterwards, he kisses me.

"I knew you were coming for me!" I cry out. I couldn't help but cry. I was so happy to see him. He holds me in his arms as I begin to glow blue. The blue glow soon engulfs us both. It seemed to illuminate us, as though our connection grew more stronger the longer we held onto each other. I could feel my powers and energy replenishing itself quickly.

The moment lasts for another minute, before we hear the growl of a large animal.

We both look to see a large giant tiger snarling at us.

I gulp as Eric stands in front of me, holding his sword.

"You chose to fuck with the wrong vampire, tiger, now it will cost you your life," Eric seethes as he walks towards him.

Suddenly, Quinn attacks him but Eric moves out of the way. He swings his sword in the air in vampire speed and swings it at Quinn, which cuts through his left side. Quinn roars out in pain, but tries to attack Eric again. Eric evades him once more and swings his sword at him again. This time he slices through his front leg and punctures him through the heart.

Quinn roars out one last time, as his body begins to become human again. Quinn looks up at me as he draws his last breath. I try to focus on his last thoughts. He regretted having been forced to do this job for Felipe and he was scared to leave behind his sister Frannie. He knew that his mothers' death was inevitable, and that his sister had no means to survive alone in this world.

I sigh in relief.

Eric puts his arm around me and hugs me. He takes off his leather coat and puts it on me.

"You must be cold," he says. "I will be right back, I must take care of his companion.

He returns a few minutes later. "We need to get you somewhere safe."

He takes me into his arms and we fly back to Rhodes.

We finally reach Rhodes a few hours later and Eric lands us near the hospital that Pam was being treated.

"Pam," Eric says as we find her in one of the vampire rooms in the hospital. There were several other vamps who managed to escape the blaze in the room. They were being treated for burns and lost limbs as well.

"Pam I am so glad that you are alive," I say to her.

"I suppose I have you to thank for saving me," she replies. "And I have a feeling I will be paying retributions to Eric for having put you in danger for saving my life."

I put my hand on her arm. "Eric will do no such thing. You are worth saving."

We talk for several minutes as Eric goes to find out more information about the explosion at the hotel.

"The queen is still alive. She was not in the hotel and is back in New Orleans. Andre is not here either," he says.

"Wait, you mean they left last night?" I ask astounded. That could only mean they knew what was going to happen.

"She sold me to Felipe. She knew I had the better chance to escape and survive in the daylight, while you could not," I say in a shocked tone.

I could feel Eric's anger rising as his backup cellphone begins to ring.

He picks up the call and listens to the caller. He hangs up about a minute later.

"The queen is dead and so are most of her children. Felipe's men are scouring the territory looking for the rest," he says sounding upset. "He's killing all her Sheriffs and Lieutenants."

"Felipe is taking control of Louisiana," Pam states in a shocked tone.

I gasp as I think about Gran and Jason and my friends. I was now closely bound to vampires. That meant Felipe was not only going to target Eric, but also me.

"We have to get back to Bon Temps," I say quietly. "I'm not going to lose my Gran again."

"Sookie, do not fear," Eric says to me reassuringly. "Ever since you showed me what could potentially happen, I have taken the necessary precautions. Your grandmother and Jason are safe."

A single tear slides down my cheek.

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"We fight back," Eric responds. He takes his phone and calls someone else.

"Felipe is not taking my home state again, not this time," I say with determination in my voice.

I was ready to fight.

Eric's POV:

I had always prepared myself for potential takeovers and threats to my existence. I even had a codename for it, Operation Blackstorm. I had secretly organized a small, but deadly force to protect my assets. I had a feeling that this was a hostile takeover, so I quickly initiated the plan from the airport. My army was quickly dispatched outside Fangtasia and the Stackhouse farm. Several more were on their way here. I received word that De Castro has successfully taken over the Queen's court with the help of Peter Threadgill. De Castro was now on his way here to try and take me down as well. As Sophie's strongest Sheriff, I was a threat to his takeover.

I quickly look at Pam's wounds which were slowly healing. She was not going to be strong enough to fight tonight. I had to get her to the safehouse to heal properly. I intended to send Sookie there as well to keep her safe. I had already almost lost her today, I wasn't going to risk Sookie again.

"Sookie, I need you to protect Pam once more," I say soothingly.

She looks at me with furrowed eyebrows and crosses her arms. "No chance Eric. I am going to fight alongside you."

"Lover, you have done more than enough today. I think it is best that you replenish your strength at the safehouse," I reply.

She sighs angrily, "Eric, I feel fine and you know it. You can feel my emotions through our bond. I want to fight with you."

I knew there was no point in arguing any further. There was no bargaining with Sookie when she had her mind set on something.

I make the arrangements to send Pam to the safehouse, while I fly to it with Sookie.

As we prepare for battle at my safehouse, I hug my beautiful wife from behind as she prepares her pistols and knives. She had changed into an all-black outfit with a bulletproof vest. She holds up her left hand to look at her ring.

"I guess I should take this off. I wouldn't want to lose it," she says as she places it on the table.

She sighs as I continue to hold her and send her love and reassurance through our bond.

"We will get through this together," I whisper into her ear.

Minutes later, I get the call that De Castro was now outside in an empty parking lot near the hospital where the vampires were being treated. No doubt they were there to see if I or any Louisiana vampires were there.

As Sookie and I arrive, we are greeted by De Castro and his attackers.

I mull them over and knew that they were no match for me. A few seconds later, we are flanked my contingent force. I had hired some of the most formidable vampires around the world to live in Louisiana in secret, to await the moment that I would need them. I had planned to use them when and if the queen would try and take Sookie. I also expected to use them when De Castro attacked. I had not expected them to attack so soon.

"Eric Northman, I am glad you survived the attack of this hotel. It is a monstrosity what the Fellowship has done. They will pay the price for their barbaric behavior," De Castro smiles. He was wearing his ridiculous cape. "And Mizz Stackhouse, I have not had the pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have heard much about you."

"You will not talk to my bonded wife, De Castro," I say in a neutral tone.

"Ahhh," he replies smiling. "I had heard about your nuptials that took place last night."

"It's too bad someone destroyed the hotel soon after you two were wed. If I may say, it seems like a bad omen for your marriage to begin this way," he says. "But nevertheless, congratulations on your marriage."

"What do you want?" I ask. I knew the answer to that question.

"The same thing that everyone desires. Money, safety, and assurance," he replies.

"Is that why you attacked the Pyramid of Giza and the Queen? And not to mention, attempting to kidnap my bonded wife?" I seethe.

He smiles smugly at me. I look over his shoulder and see Victor Madden walking towards us with several more of his guards.

"I did not attack the hotel, nor did I try to kidnap your wife," he says.

"You sent the tiger," I state.

He looks at me for a few moments. "The tiger, does he still live?"

"Unfortunately, no. You will find him feeding the coyotes with his dead body," I reply.

He ceases to smile. "Quinn was my subordinate. Although he was a filthy were, he was valuable to my territory. I am afraid I will be seeking retributions from you."

"He touched my woman, my bonded. Under our laws, no vampire or subordinate will lay their hands on what belongs to me. He paid for it with his pathetic existence when he attempted to take my wife," I say in a firm tone.

"I have reason to believe that your plan was to not only take Louisiana, but also my wife," I tell him.

"You have no proof," De Castro says angrily.

I grip my weapon as my anger rises. I could feel the turmoil brewing in Sookie, but she wasn't scared. She was preparing herself to fight.

"Come Eric, let us talk like civilized beings," De Castro asks, with his putrid smile back on his face. "There has already been more than enough vampire blood spilt this night. I wish to make a deal with you. Yes, I have planned a somewhat hostile takeover of the Louisiana territory. But I only did it to save our people. You and I both know that Sophie was ill-equipped to rule a territory. Her children are diabolical and her methods are questionable to say the least. She proved that when she married Threadgill, who by the way, had no problem with betraying her. I know that Threadgill is a weak vampire, so after he helped me, I disposed of him quickly. I am now the king of Arkansas, as well as Louisiana and Nevada."

I could feel Sookie's uneasiness growing, but I send her calm and more reassurance.

"You are a very old and powerful vampire, Eric Northman. I would not be a wise king if I disposed of you as well," he continues. "No, I wish to make you an ally. You may keep continue on as Sheriff of Area 5, as long as you show fealty to me."

"You call that a deal?" I sneer.

"Well if continuing to exist and making sure that those loyal to you continue to live, then yes, I think it is," he replies in a smug tone.

"I do not respond well to threats. You killed my queen, which I do not find to be agreeable. You have attacked my territory, which I also find to be…..unscrupulous. But the one action that makes me livid is that you tried to hurt my wife. That act alone is unforgivable."

"Are you threatening me with violence, Senor Northman?" De Castro. "I do not respond well to threats of violence. I also find it hard to believe that you cared much about your wife's safety, since you have brought her here with you."

"She can defend herself," I say as I raise my sword to initiate my attack on De Castro and his men. There were twelve of us against thirty of them.

My blade doesn't hit De Castro, but it slices through one of his bodyguards who moved quick to defend him. I continue to attack forwards as he and Victor Madden stand in the back as they watch their guards fight. I briefly look to my right to see Sookie moving in vampire speed, attacking anyone who gets near her. As I get closer to De Castro, Madden stands in front of me. As he pulls out a pistol filled with silver bullets, a dagger hits him straight in the heart. I look to my right to see Sookie looking and aiming another dagger at Madden, which hits him in the throat.

"Excellent work," I say to my retinue as they finish up the last of De Castro's men.

De Castro looks at me with fear in his eyes.

"You cannot hurt me!" he says in a terrified tone. "I am royalty!"

I wave my sword at him. I listen to him whimper in fear one last time before I slice through his heart and take his head off.

Sookie comes to my side and hugs me. "Did that just happen Eric? What's going to happen now?"

I stare at the gruesome scene before us. "The council will sort this out."

Sookie's POV:

This had been a very long day. Not only did I survive a bombing attack to the Pyramid of Giza, but I was also kidnapped and took part in a vampire battle over Louisiana.

If I wasn't exhausted before, I was now. I needed a shower, not to mention, a nice, hot meal.

A few days later, we were in New Orleans where the vampire council held emergency meetings. They found no fault with Eric's actions. They held Felipe's actions accountable though. But since he was already dead, I guess he paid the price with the loss of his territory, not to mention his life. They also found Peter Threadgill guilty of attempting to illegally take over Louisiana and for killing Sophie. But he was killed by De Castro as well. Andre had tried to make a deal with De Castro. He had traded me in exchange for two million dollars. Andre was a lot of things but he sure wasn't smart. He was betrayed by De Castro as soon as he landed back in New Orleans. He had been killed swiftly, along with Sophie's children.

Now we had all these dead vampires and chaos in Louisiana. The vampire council's response to the disarray in Nevada, Arkansas, and Louisiana was to name new kings. They offered the three kingdoms to Eric, since he had been the one to end De Castro. He also had the means (and I mean the money and power) to rule.

I couldn't say that I was surprised, but I was shocked at how it all played out. In my timeline, Eric was only king of Louisiana. Now he would be ruler of three territories. It would keep him busy, and I mean very busy to rule of three kingdoms. I was not happy about this.

"I cannot refuse the council, Sookie," Eric says to me at his home in New Orleans. Or rather it was our home. He had presented me earlier with papers, declaring all his property to be half mine. I tried to refuse, but he said that since we were married, all that belonged to him was mine too.

"I know Eric," I sigh. "This is a way to keep us safe, not to mention our families safe. But you would be ruling three states! I mean you would be busy at every waking moment of the night."

"Yes, that is why I will accept the kingdom of Louisiana. However, I will make Pam regent of Nevada and I will also name suggestions to the council of whom should become ruler of Arkansas," Eric says. "I love you. I want to be with you and protect you as well as I can."

I look up at Eric and put my arms around him. "I trust you. I love you too. I love you so much."

Well I guess that settles this. Eric was now going to be a king and I was going to be his consort.

Several months later, during his coronation, I gaze up as I watch my husband become king of Louisiana. As I smile and enjoy the moment, a feeling begins creeping up on me. I knew something major was to happen and I had a feeling it was going to have something to do with faeries.